In a quiet corner of Ballabgarh near New Delhi, a revolution is brewing in one of India’s oldest manufacturing sectors. The National Council for Cement and Building Materials (NCCBM) is reimagining the future of cement, a 200-year-old material fundamental to infrastructure development.
“We have a very rigorous process to basically incubate any startup,” explains Mr. LP Singh, Director General of NCCBM. “We do rigorous screening. We take a lot of presentations about their ideas. Once we feel a particular startup has a very good scientific background, a strong team, and has identified a meaningful gap, then we start mentoring them.”
Founded in 1962 as the Cement Research Institute of India, NCCBM now finds itself at the intersection of tradition and innovation, helping the cement industry navigate a critical paradox: how to increase production for India’s massive infrastructure needs while simultaneously achieving ambitious decarbonization goals.
“We will be reaching somewhere around 1400 million [tons of cement production],” Singh notes, highlighting the scale of India’s cement ambitions. “When there is growth, there are enough opportunities, whether in cement, concrete, or construction chemicals.”
Singh makes a fascinating distinction between entrepreneurship and startups: “Entrepreneurship is where you want to extend your business. Startup means entrepreneurship along with innovation.”
This philosophy drives NCCBM’s incubation center, which has already welcomed ten startups working in three critical areas: artificial intelligence, decarbonization technologies, and carbon capture, utilization. One remarkable startup has developed technology that directly captures carbon dioxide and converts it into graphite—an elegant solution for an industry that ranks among the world’s largest CO₂ emitters.
What makes NCCBM’s incubation center uniquely valuable? “We have a galaxy of experts, very good networking with the cement industry, and we know what problems are associated,” Singh explains. “Above all, we have all the infrastructure facilities available to carry out any product development that startups want to do.”
The council serves as the nodal agency supporting government policy formulation while protecting consumer interests in cement and concrete. With centers in Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, and Bhubaneswar, NCCBM’s expertise spans the entire spectrum of cement manufacturing—from raw material exploration to final utilization in construction.
“I welcome all the young minds and startups working in this focus area to come and join our incubation,” Singh invites, extending an open door to innovators ready to transform one of India’s most fundamental industries.
For founders across sectors, NCCBM exemplifies how even traditional manufacturing can embrace innovation to address pressing challenges, proving that sometimes, the most groundbreaking opportunities exist in centuries-old industries.
